FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 24, 2018
MEDIA ADVISORY Survivors Lead Statement on Officer-Involved Shooting of Thurman Blevins, 30, in north Minneapolis
Survivors Lead is deeply saddened and outraged by the shooting of Thurman Blevins, 30.
Information is being released by authorities, but not all details are known. We do know that just before 5:30pm, at least two individuals called police to report shots being fired near the 4700 block of Bryant Avenue N. Accounts of what happened next vary but, Blevins’ family stated that officers shot Blevins multiple times. Minneapolis Police Chief Arradando stated that the investigation has been turned over to the BCA.
Survivors Lead stands strongly with survivors of police gun violence. We are weary from repeated meetings at City Hall--we want the police to stop killing people. We call upon the City of Minneapolis to:
Provide trauma-informed resources for the Blevins family and community members
Maintain transparency as the BCA investigates through open community meetings
Review police body camera footage immediately
Be accountable and raise the bar for “use of force,” particularly deadly force. Feeling afraid is not justification for taking a human life
Implement our SURVIVORS LEAD retreat programming to promote healing between survivors of police violence and law enforcement
As survivors, we know from personal experience that this can happen anywhere, anytime. We must demand more from our lawmakers, whose inaction results in daily gun violence in our communities. We must confront and dismantle our country’s culture of white supremacy everywhere it exists, particularly when it is perpetuated by systems designed to oppress historically marginalized communities. Survivors Lead will intensify our commitment to stop the killing and the prevalence of guns in our country.
ABOUT SURVIVORS LEAD:
Survivors Lead takes a municipality-based approach to curbing gun violence, focused on survivor-led efforts to end gun violence in our cities. We work with families and assist them in advocating for their murdered loved one in unsolved/active cases, provide survivor peer support throughout the trial process and beyond. We work with law enforcement to address police violence and mass incarceration in communities of color, and offer political trainings to assist survivors of violence in running for public office.
For more information, visit www.survivorslead.com or text SURVIVORSLEAD to 444-999.
Contact: Rachael Joseph, Executive Director, gun violence survivor
E-mail: info@survivorslead.com Website: www.survivorslead.com